The Demonic Duo
by princess of Las Noches
Summary: AU after GT. Goku has made a deal with Shenron that everyone, who are currently in Heaven, will be given a second chance at life. But what they don't expect is that the Dragon has a plan of his own, and once everyone is back to life, he's going to put it into pace. What could Shenron possibly be planning and just how will it affect everyone, especially two best friends? PLEASE READ
1. A Second Chance?

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING EVEN RELATED TO DBZ! OTHERWISE GT WOULD BE POPULAR!

Gohan was jumping with anticipation, quite literally in fact. He was trying hard not to, he really was, but he just couldn't help it. He kept looking out over the landscapes of the Upper world, Heaven if you will, watching to see the first glimpse of the others' arrival. He couldn't believe this was happening, but he was positively elated about the idea of everyone getting back tog-

"GOHAN!" Gohan jumped a good three feet in the air at the harsh shriek in his ear. He turned to see Videl glaring at him and tapping her foot, a clear sign she'd been calling for quite some time and he hadn't been paying attention.

"Jeez, calm down already, your acting like a child." She grumbled, crossing her arms. Gohan thought against retorting against that certain remark by telling her again just _who _his father was. For starters, she already knew of Goku's infamous childish behavior and that Gohan had inherited quite a bit, and fairly heavily, from that specific trait; he also didn't feel like getting hit with something large and heavy at the moment.

"I can't help it! I'm so excited about everyone being together again! After everyone died, they went off on their own, and we haven't seen each other in so long. I can't believe we're all coming back together again!" By the time he had finished his sentence he was hopping again. Videl was about to reprimand him again, but thought better of it and just sighed, turning away and walking back over to her seat by Chi-Chi, Ox-King, Goten and Pan. It still amazed her how much they still looked like themselves despite the fact that they were all looking their ages. She, Pan and Chi-Chi all looked like old hags, if she was to admit it to herself, though the fact made her cringe. Goten and Gohan got off luckier, considering the potent Saiyan blood running in their veins. They looked older yes, but not nearly as old as they should, which was a sore spot for the women present.

"It was a good attempt Videl, but he's not going to stop anytime soon." Goten laughed, patting her shoulder. She sighed again, nodding in agreement.

"Yeah mom, he'll calm down later on, let's just let him have some excitement. He does at least have good reasoning this time." Pan piped in. Ox-King and Goten laughed at that and Chi-Chi smiled fondly at her eldest son.

Everyone started chatting about this and that while they sat waiting for the other's arrival. After about a half hour of waiting a few very familiar Ki signatures hit the little group, alerting the ones that were able to sense it. Gohan jumped up and stared in the direction of the signatures, and sure enough, a moment later three people showed up on the horizon, flying straight to the little group.

"It's Krillin and 18!" Gohan shouted excitedly, waving his arms at his friend. Krillin landed in front of Gohan, followed by 18 carrying their daughter Marron.

"Hey bro, how you be-_en!?_" Krillin asked before being abruptly hugged by Gohan, to the point where he feared he'd be killed once again. He tapped Gohan on the arm, signaling for his attention.

"Hey, Gohan…..I k-kinda…can't….breathe….." he rasped out before being hastily dropped by Gohan.

"Sorry Krillin." Gohan laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head in true Son fashion. Krillin recovered quickly however, far too used to Goku's strength to be deterred. He jumped up and punched Gohan in the arm, laughing at his expression.

"Don't worry 'bout it. Now like I was trying to say, how you been? Haven't seen ya in forever!" They walked over to where Gohan had been sitting, reminiscing about old times while Marron and 18 joined the rest.

Soon they felt another pair coming, looking up to see Tenshinhan and Chaozu. Next to arrive was Yamcha, sporting a fresh slap mark across his face, which everyone wasted no time in ridiculing, much to the former baseball player's chagrin. Pu'ar and Oolong arrived soon after Yamcha, who had apparently ditched them on the way to the others.

Everyone talked and caught up with each other. The girls chatted together, and Pan, Videl, and Chi-Chi secretly complained about 18's eternal youth and beauty. The men all reminisced about the fights and battles they had endured, catching up with each other.

Suddenly they felt 4 more familiar chi, and right after, Vegeta and Trunks landed, carrying Bulma and Bra. The girls joined the rest while Trunks ran over to Goten, who abruptly joined him in a quick sparring contest. Vegeta walked over to Gohan, leaning against a tree with his arms crossed.

"All right boy, we're all here, so why the hell did we come?" he growled out, glaring at the man before him. Gohan took no offence, far to use to Vegeta's behavior. His question however, caught his attention, and he wasn't the only one. Almost everyone that wasn't completely engrossed with their conversations suddenly snapped to attention, wondering the same thing. Even Goten and Trunks stopped their fight to listen in. Gohan looked around at his friends and family, seeing their curiosity and confusion clearly. Taking a deep breath, he sighed before answering.

"I honestly have no clue." He started. King Kai, who had told them to meet up together for something important, had contacted each of the original Z Fighters and their families. He hadn't said what it was, but he had said Gohan would explain. "King Kai contacted me, the same way he contacted you all, but Lord Enma was with him when he talked to me. Lord Enma said that he wanted to talk to all of us about something very important, but he refused to tell me what about. King Kai said he'd told you I'd explain it so you'd all come." He could tell by their expressions that they had been hoping for an explanation, and they all felt duped that King Kai had lied to get them together.

"You've got to be fucking _kidding me!_" Vegeta hissed out, rage taking over his senses. "That fat blue bug tells us to get here, then doesn't give us a single kami-damned reason why? I'll squash him with a fly swatter when I see him."

"Oh, shut up already, Vegeta. I'm sure King Kai and Lord Enma have a perfectly good reason for gathering us all." Bulma snapped at her husband, glaring at him. Vegeta just huffed and looked away.

Everyone looked to Gohan, more than a little perplexed. Gohan merely shook his head and looked down, showing he didn't know anymore than that.

Suddenly the ground felt like it was shaking. Everyone looked around, wondering what was happening when everything started spinning and became blurry. Gohan clenched his eyes, trying to not fall over as his mind swam. Then it was done. Just as quickly as it had started, everything was calm again. Gohan looked up, only to be shocked at what he saw. He looked up and up and up, until he saw none other than Lord Enma before him.

Lord Enma was smiling. Not smirking or grinning, but genuinely smiling; as if he couldn't be any more ecstatic about whatever it was he wanted them to know. Suddenly the air next to the large group of confused people warped, and in the blink of an eye, King Kai appeared. Gohan had a sneaking suspicion that was how they'd all gotten there.

"Welcome everyone. I'm pleased to see everyone I asked for has arrived." Lord Enma's deep voice boomed over the group. Vegeta walked forward, a look of rage on his face.

"O.K., so why the hell did you call for us in the first place?" he growled out, glaring at the large man.

"Vegeta, you mustn't speak to Lord Enma that way!" a voice called behind them. Everyone turned to see none other than Dende. The young Guardian was smiling at everyone, but looked slightly worried at Vegeta's behavior. Dende's smile widened as he saw everyone's confused faces before realization slapped them like a brick to the face.

"_DENDE!_" Gohan and Krillin screamed in unison, launching forward to wrap their arms around their young namekian friend. Dende laughed as he dropped his staff, letting it clatter to the floor as he wrapped an arm each around the two, hugging them tight.

"My friends, it has been far too long! It's good to see you all!" he said, smiling at the rest of the group, seeing a smile on everyone's faces (disregarding Vegeta, of course).

"Man, I didn't even recognize you! You grew like a weed!" Krillin said, his voice dripping with glee. Suddenly Gohan and Krillin stepped back out of Dende's grip, staring at him intently.

"Wh-what is it?" Dende asked nervously, wondering why they had such odd looks on their faces. Suddenly Krillin exploded in anger, making Gohan double over in laughter.

"ARGGHH! This is so not fair! I completely forgot about his height! DAMN IT!" Krillin kept ranting, but Dende couldn't understand the rest of it; it was all slurred in anger. Once he managed to calm Gohan down to mere giggling, he asked what was wrong. He was genuinely upset, worried that he'd upset Krillin in some way.

"No, don't worry about it," Gohan comforted, trying to stifle his giggling. "Your just _really _tall. That's why we were so shocked. It made Krillin mad because since we haven't seen you in so long, we'd forgotten how tall you were, and you make him feel really short." Here he couldn't hold his laughter in any longer, and abruptly broke into peals of laughter once more, falling to the floor.

Dende sweated at Krillin's anger, but he started laughing as well, finally understanding.

"I'm sorry Krillin, I can't help that I've grown up." He laughed out, standing back up and offering a hand to the fallen demi-saiyan. Gohan gladly took it, allowing the namekian to haul him to his feet. He stooped down and grabbed the wooden staff Dende had dropped, handing it back to the Guardian, getting a nod of thanks in return.

Poorly muffled laughter came from behind them, and they turned to see Goten and Trunks grinning behind their hands, watching the trio's reunion. Suddenly remembering they had an audience, both alien friends walked back over to the large group that stood before Lord Enma and King Kai, large smiles on their faces, almost oblivious to the fact that Krillin was still clearly peeved.

"Good to see you again Dende, how have you and Popo been managing, eh?" Pan asked, lightly punching the green man on his arm. "I can't even imagine how boring it must be without constant danger and insanity at least once a decade. You must really miss having us around." She grinned even as she tried to seem serious.

"Oh, yes, because I am just completely crestfallen without the universe's largest known group of danger-magnets constantly hanging around me and pulling me into their hellish misadventures." He joked back, eyeing each member of his group of friends that fate seemed to love to torment. At his statement the room filled with laughter and joking back and forth.

"Alright, alright, everyone just calm down now." Lord Enma boomed over the crowd, trying his damnedest to hide his snickering. He couldn't count the total amount of times he'd seen each member of the large party stand before his desk. "I believe we should get back to business." His voice dropped into a serious one as everyone stopped laughing, giving their attention to the large red man.

"Dende, would you mind joining us?" King Kai asked, walking up to stand in front of the large desk, facing the curious crowd.

"Certainly not, Sir." Dende responded politely, making his way up to King Kai's side, facing his friends as well.

"Wait a second; King Kai, Dende, just what are you two doing here anyway?" Goten asked, pointing at the two in bewilderment. Enma smirked and eyed the Goku-look-alike.

"King Kai and Dende are important for the announcement I have for you all, and each pulled a quite a few strings for his part to make sure this will all work out. Dende, being the Guardian and God of Earth, and King Kai, being the Lord of Worlds, are each very important in this."

"Now, I am sure you are all very confused, and I apologize for that. But what I have called you all here for had to remain secret. It already goes against the laws of nature, but technically, so do all of you." Enma droned over the crowd, his every word sinking in with finality.

"You all risked your lives time and again, selflessly and in most cases shamelessly sacrificing those that meant the most to you as well as your own happiness to save not only your own world repeatedly, but also the worlds of others as well." Here he paused, catching the loving and thankful smile Dende gave Krillin and Gohan. Smiling softly, he continued.

"For these things, the universe itself will never be able to thank you enough. Though, I'm sure what I have to explain and offer all of you will come fairly close for most of you." He chuckled, giving knowing glances and smiles to King Kai and Dende, the latter positively jumping with excitement and delight, his smile threatening to rip his face apart.

Vegeta growled at the three, getting quite irate. "Alright, so we got killed a bunch of times, big fucking deal. Now, why don't you answer me this time and actually explain why the hell you've called us here?" he shouted impatiently.

Dende gasped and flailed fearfully, gesturing wildly for Vegeta to hush. '_Dammit Vegeta, can't you take a hint for once in your life!?' _he screamed in his mind. Hearing a deep 'hmph' come from above him, Dende peaked up slowly, fearing the wrath he was sure he'd see. Instead, he was utterly baffled to see a smirk on Enma's face. An honestly amused one at that.

"Very well, I'll just come out and ask you all then. No point in beating around the bush is there?" He leaned forward, eyeing each member of the Z fighters and their families. His smile from before was back, and the pure satisfaction and joy in it had each person sitting on the edge of their seats, metaphorically speaking of course.

"King Kai, Dende, and myself were all contacted by Son Goku not too long ago." He paused to allow the shocked gasps and comments ranging from murmurs to cries of "Goku?! Really!?", "Kakkarot!?", "Dad!" and "Grandpa!" to die down slightly before he held his hand to hush the stunned group.

"Yes, and he spoke to us of a deal he apparently made with the Dragon God Shenron. He spoke of a chance to come back to Earth and be with all of you, and how you all _should_ have been able to live your lives if not for the constant battles and wars you were all forced to participate and suffer through." He spoke calmly, but he didn't pause, not allowing the crowd to erupt into conversation again.

"Now, I shall ask you the question Shenron and Goku asked me to convey to all of you: Would you like to join Goku and live again on Earth?" He asked calmly, seeing Dende start to hop in excitement again in his peripheral vision.

The entire room erupted in cheers, screams, incredulous shouting and the sounds of a fainting Chi-Chi hitting the floor.

A/N:/ **_PLEASE REVIEW!_** it's the little box below! see it? yeah, right there. click that and tell me how i'm doing, otherwise this'll be discontinued like my other 2 stories. i need reviews to tell me how i'm doing and how you guys like it. so _**PLEASE**_ review?

( i have a couple the second chapter done and all. i'm going to update each time i have the next one done. for example: once i finish up chapter 3, i'll upload chapter 2, then i'll finish chapter 4, and upload 3, you get my drift right? that way i don't leave all of you hanging )


	2. A Quick Trip To Hell

_**Sooooo sorry for the long wait! i had a little bit of trouble getting on the computer, so i had to wait to finish chapter 3 so i could upload this ^^;**_

_**Anyways, i don't own DBZ. The all power-full Toriyama-Sama does.  
**_

_**WITHOUT FURTHER ADO: START READING!  
**_

_**The Underworld (AKA: HELL)**_

Piccolo stared wide eyed ahead of himself, staring at nothing, seeing nothing important, but hearing something that had just stopped all coherent thought in his mind. He exhaled his lungs roughly, not even realizing he had been holding his breath.

"_Dende, is this true..?! Are they all really getting a second chance?" _he asked through the mind link he was currently sharing with the younger namekian. Dende had contacted him right before he'd shown up in the Underworld before Lord Enma, and asked Piccolo to 'please listen to the conversation Lord Enma would have with the others' as the young Guardian had put it.

"_Yes, it's true! Everyone will get to come back to life if they choose too!" _though Piccolo could tell by the excitement in the boy's voice that he knew no one would object the offer.

"_I'm happy for them, they all deserve it." 'especially Gohan…' _he added secretly. Gohan had been forced into the life he'd lived since he was a child. Piccolo had long since felt guilt for that, as it wasn't just Goku's, but also his own fault that the boy had to fight such horrible battles since age 4. If he was being given a chance to live in peace again, he would be the first to say Gohan deserved it.

"_Piccolo, I don't think you fully understand the situation at hand…"_ Dende said through the link, his excitement dwindling slightly. Piccolo briefly wondered what he was talking about. Dende caught the confusion across the link and his cheeks started to hurt from his smile widening. _'He really doesn't know…!'_ He thought to himself. Stifling a giggle, he blocked out the yelling and cheering in Enma's office once more to speak with Piccolo.

"_Piccolo, you do realize Enma said the __**original**__ Z fighters and their families were getting a second chance, don't you?" _The boy teased, relishing that he could taunt the imposing namekian warrior and not get beaten half to death for it.

"_Yes, I do Dende, now get to the point." _He growled back menacingly over the link, causing a subconscious shiver of fear to crawl up Dende's spine.

"_Well, __**you're**__ an original Z fighter aren't you? You sacrificed your life countless times, though admittedly they were mainly for Gohan…" _he flinched at the feral hiss that passed into his mind, able to imagine the look of rage on Piccolo's face. Despite all the time that had passed Piccolo still tried to keep face, even though everyone knew how much the two meant to each other.

"_Anyway,"_ Dende continued quickly, _"you're an original warrior, and you sacrificed just as much as everyone else did. Just because you were sent to hell-which was a __**STUPID **__move by the way! I can understand that you wanted to get Goku out of Hell, but still, that was such a __**moronic**__ thing to do, and-"_

"_Dende, FOCUS! Just tell me what the hell you're trying to say already!" _Piccolo yelled, getting aggravated with the back and forth banter. It was getting tedious.

"_YOUR COMING BACK TO LIFE TOO YOU IDIOT!" _Dende screamed through the link, every word coated in excitement tenfold of what he'd had earlier.

For a moment, Piccolo couldn't understand what the young God had said, but once he did, he was completely immobile. It was almost like he'd been turned into a statue again. Dende almost began to worry when he didn't hear a response from the other end of the link.

"_Umm… Piccolo? Are you OK…?"_ he asked timidly, unsure why he felt so uneasy.

"…_I'm coming back to life as well…?" _Piccolo's shaky and hesitant voice filled Dende's mind once more, relieving the Guardian.

"_Yeah, after everyone is brought back to life, we'll be getting you out of Hell. It'll be a little more difficult, which is why you're not with everyone right now, but King Kai, Lord Enma and I have all pulled some strings to get you out of there." _Dende's chipper voice replied, concreting the truth for Piccolo. He was getting out of Hell. He was going to get to live again and see everyone once more.

'_I'll get to see Gohan again…'_ he thought to himself, a soft smile coming to his lips. Dende's laughter suddenly filled his mind.

"_I heard that Piccolo!" _he cheered gleefully, a tinge of mischief coating his voice. A deep violet blush coated Piccolo's cheeks as he forcefully, and particularly violently kicked Dende out of his mind. Once he was back to life he'd throttle the boy. His lips quirked up menacingly at the thought.

"_Back to life… so this really is happening, huh?" _He thought, looking up at the red sky of Hell.

* * *

Dende rubbed his head, moaning under his breath in pain. "He didn't have to be so rude…" he complained to himself. His grimace of pain turned into a gentle smile however. 'He really does miss Gohan and everyone else. I can't wait to see his and Gohan's reactions when they see each other again.' He snickered to himself as he watched everyone calm down slightly.

They were all still very shaken however. Goten, Videl and Pan were trying desperately to waken a fallen Chi-Chi, Bulma and Bra were hugging and crying in joy while Trunks tried (and failed miserably) to hide his pure happiness from his father, who was trying to look indifferent to the offer. Everyone could see the slight upward tilt of his lips though.

Krillin was hugging 18, who, shockingly, was hugging her husband's shoulders just as tightly, a smirk on her face. Marron and the rest of the gang were cheering and whooping still. Dende locked his gaze on the only person who wasn't reacting nearly as hysterically as the others. In fact, the man hadn't moved at all really. His lips were turned up in a smile, but it wasn't as large as Dende had expected. In fact, it seemed a little distracted by whatever it was he was thinking about. Dende, nearly unable to contain his curiosity, and even less willing to try, reached out his mind to grasp his friend's, slipping in effortlessly.

'_Brought back to life… We're being brought back to life… I can't believe it… but…'_ here his mind slowed, hesitating in where ever his train of thought had been heading. Dende fought the urge to lean forward and dig through Gohan's mind. If he tried to pry his thought out instead of merely listen, Gohan would become aware of his presence in the demi-saiyan's mind. He waited patiently, keeping his gaze from staying on Gohan, so as not to become obvious.

Suddenly, images and memories of Piccolo raced through his mind. Some were of his training with the namekian when he was a child, others were of battles and talking with the group about whatever was going on at the time. Yet still more were of things like chats around their campfire, or Piccolo taking the time to help Gohan with his stance or attacks and defense without beating the hell out of him to make him understand, or even showing him how to use the Masenko.

Then there were the private moments, not meant to be seen by anyone, like how Piccolo meditated while allowing a young Gohan to eat or even sleep in his lap. Or how Gohan was able to sneak up on Piccolo while he meditated and scare him out of the sky. Or even how Piccolo would splash a laughing Gohan back after getting wave upon wave splattered onto himself from a river. The one that caught Dende's attention the most was the one where Gohan and Piccolo were in the shade under a tree. A young Gohan was in Piccolo's lap, leaning back against his chest while the green man hovered over the ground in his signature lotus position. Piccolo was stroking and playing with the boy's wild black hair, almost absent mindedly like it was habit. Gohan didn't seem to be too astonished by this, almost enjoying it, and Dende was certain it wasn't the first or last time Piccolo had done this. He couldn't understand what Gohan was saying, but suddenly Piccolo smiled. Genuinely smiled. After a little more talking, Piccolo started laughing heartily, rapping his free arm around his ribs. Gohan merely turned in the man's lap smiling up at him and laughing along. They acted so naturally, while Dende was dumbstruck to see the usually stoic namekian genuinely enjoying something so thoroughly. As he watched, he realized that Gohan was the only person in the world to know the true Piccolo. The one that smiled and laughed and joked along with him so freely.

More memories flowed through his mind, courtesy of a certain demi-saiyan. All of them were accompanied by a sense of nostalgia and warmth, and an emptiness Dende couldn't place exactly… longing maybe? No, it was more like an anxiousness to see him. He was incredibly sad, almost lonely without the cruel namekian. The feeling was an incredibly heavy, crushing sensation. It was so painful, almost as if half of his very soul had been ripped from his body. It quite possibly was, not having Piccolo. Gohan had been hiding it for a very long time. Dende was willing to bet he'd been feeling this impossibly depressing emotion since Piccolo sacrificed himself to rid the world of those damned black-star balls.

'_He wants to see Piccolo again… but he doesn't know if Piccolo is being resurrected as well or not…' _Dende hid the pain in his heart as he opened his eyes and chanced a glimpse at Gohan. At first glance, he was still his happy-go-lucky self, his smile still in place, just like before Dende had read his thoughts. But now that Dende felt his pain and heart ache, he could see the darkness in Gohan's coal eyes. How long had he gone without seeing his friend's misery? The demi-saiyan was obviously suffering from the separation.

'_Now that I think about it, Piccolo was everything to Gohan… he was his first teacher and his best friend. Those two were so close, and then Piccolo just died so suddenly… I can't believe I never considered how much pain Gohan felt after Piccolo's death. And then Gohan was sent to Heaven, knowing Piccolo was trapped in Hell. Gods, what kind of a friend am I?'_

Dende hung his head in shame, remembering how distant Gohan had seemed when he'd arrived to the man's 'sending-off' after he died. (For the last time, that is…) Throughout Lord Enma's speech of all the good deeds Gohan had done during his life, Gohan hadn't even moved. He stayed perfectly still, staring at the floor beneath his feet. As Dende looked back on that time, he suddenly realized how dark and empty Gohan's eyes had been. Being told he was going straight to the Upperworld while his best and closest friend was trapped unjustly in Hell… Dende felt the pain of unshed tears burning his eyes.

"Dende are you alright? What's wrong?" Dende snapped back to the present, seeing the concerned faces of Krillin, Pan and Trunks before him. He blinked absently before processing what they'd said. He smiled weakly, laughing lightly, but even he could hear how hollow and sad it sounded.

"Yeah, I'm fine, really. Why do you ask?" he said, hoping he could convince them otherwise.

"Because for a while your eyes were closed and you looked like you were in pain. Not to mention you've got tears _streaming_ down your face." Trunks said gruffly, an angry glare on his face at how easily Dende tried to brush off their concern. As he watched, he saw the Guardian's eyes widen greatly, before a shaky green hand slowly went to his face to brush his cheek.

When Dende pulled his hand away and looked at it, he saw tears covering his skin. He hadn't realized he'd allowed his tears to fall, but once they had, they came freely, unbidden.

He quickly wiped the sleeve of his robes across his face, clearing his flushed face of the traitorous fluid. "I'm fine, really guys. It's nothing of importance I swear." He said, hoping they'd believe him, glancing up from his sleeve, he saw their hesitant faces before Krillin's expression hardened slightly. He looked to be concentrating a bit before Dende felt a faint fuzziness in his mind. He quickly grasped that feeling, recognizing it as Krillin's request to speak telepathically. He didn't have the ability like he and Piccolo did, nor the talent Gohan did due to constant mind links with the other namekian, but after much deliberation and practice, he'd attained the ability to let his will be known when he wanted to speak privately.

"_What is it…?" _Dende asked hesitantly, unsure what the short warrior wanted.

"_Ya know damn well what, now tell me why you were just crying like your heart had been shattered." _Krillin growled in his mind, still glaring at the namekian. Dende winced at the statement, looking down. Krillin nodded to Pan and Trunks to tell them to leave, giving them some more privacy to 'talk'. Both did so with no complaints.

"…_I can't Krillin, it's private; I shouldn't have 'eavesdropped' the way I did…"_ he hinted what he meant by flicking his gaze to Gohan for an instance, then back down to the floor. Krillin saw his gaze change for a split second, and with discreteness the Guardian hadn't thought he'd owned, took a peek in the direction Dende had.

"…_Gohan..? You listened in on his thoughts right? Just what did you 'hear' or 'see' or whatever that made you react the way you did?" _he asked, eyeing Gohan out of the corner of his vision.

"_I can't say Krillin, it's bad enough I know about it, it'd be even worse if I let it slip to you…" _he said, completely crestfallen. Krillin's expression changed to one of sympathy as he watched.

"_He's my friend too you know… At least gimme a hint to what happened…" _he pleaded, his gaze softer.

Dende hesitated for a minute, weighing the pros and cons of each thing he'd retained from his 'eavesdropping'. After much deliberation, he decided he'd show Krillin the pain he'd felt from Gohan. The memories were too risky. If he showed one of the memories he was afraid he'd let his mind wander to the personal moments they had together. There was a reason Piccolo never acted like that around Gohan when someone else was around, and there was a reason Gohan never spoke of those moments they had together. He decided it was bad enough he already knew about it, but it was best if only he knew. Those secrets they shared would die with the Guardian and no one but the three of them would know. He didn't need anymore guilt for trespassing on such a sacred patch of memories and moments shared by the two unlikely companions.

"…_alright, but it's not going to be pretty…"_ he spoke, before remembering the crushing feeling of misery and yearning he'd felt from Gohan. He pushed the memory through the link into Krillin's mind. He showed him more and more of the pain and anguish Gohan had dealt with up until that point, until he heard Krillin groaning in pain and… sniffling..? He stopped sending the feelings and looked down to see Krillin nearly on his knees, his hand clasped tightly over his heart, wrinkling the fabric there as his other arm scrubbed furiously over his face, trying to stop the tears. He sniffled again before looking up at Dende, the same torment in his eyes that Dende had most likely had upon realizing how much Gohan had suffered. Dende had just enough speed to stop Krillin from turning and making a b-line to Gohan to most likely crush him in a devastating hug. Holding onto the former monk's shirt, he leaned down and hissed into his ear.

"Calm down you idiot! If you act upset around him about this, he'll know I went through his head! He'd never forgive me, or you for wanting to know as well! It's not fair to either of us and it's most definitely not fair to him! Besides, I have something I'm sure will help you cheer up a bit." He said, a grin coming to his own lips. Krillin stopped struggling against the hand on his shirt, momentarily forgetting that he was fighting a losing battle, and turned to look at the young God.

"Uh, like what..?" he asked timidly, not sure why Dende was smiling when he knew how Gohan felt. Dende smiled wider before responding.

"_Piccolo is being brought back to life too. Gohan doesn't know, but once all of you are brought back to life, King Kai, Lord Enma and I are going to get the old witch to help us get Piccolo out of Hell and able to come back to life as well!" _he said, and by the end of his thought he and Krillin were grinning like complete lunatics.

"_So it's going to be a complete surprise for him? He has no clue he'll get to see Piccolo again?" _Krillin thought slowly, already knowing the answer. Dende nodded furiously, his eyes alight with happiness.

"_They'll __**finally**__ be reunited!"_ they both thought in unison, whooping with joy.

AN:/ YOU ALL KNOW THE DRILL! WHEN I FINISH CH 4, I'LL UPLOAD 3! **_PLEASE REVIEW FOR ME TO UPLOAD CHAPTER 3! 3_**


	3. Back To Life At Last

_**I really hope this is as good as I would like it to be. I was having a tad bit of trouble writing the middle of this chapter, but I couldn't do any better right now, and I didn't want to leave anyone hanging any longer than I have.  
**_

_**Anyways, I don't own DBZ. The all power-full Toriyama-Sama does.  
**_

_**WITHOUT FURTHER ADO: START READING!**_

Dende paced back and forth, wondering when everyone would arrive. Mr. Popo stood off to the side, tending to his garden, ignoring his young master. He'd tried relentlessly and subsequently failed miserably to keep the young Guardian calm, but seeing it as a severely lost cause, had retreated to tend to his own problems. The Hydrangeas just weren't growing as big as they used to… He 'tsk-tsk'ed to himself as he removed some stray weed roots.

Suddenly the sky darkened, and the wind picked up. Lightning flashed, but there was no thunder to accompany it. Whirling around so quick Mr. Popo was shocked he didn't get whiplash, Dende stared up at the sky, seeing 7 bright lights descending quickly.

With a short whoop of joy, Dende sprinted towards the middle of the Lookout, stopping short of running into the path of the falling objects. The round Dragon balls landed in a perfect circle, landing almost silently. They immediately began pulsing, emitting a bright, blinding glow. Dende shielded his eyes from the light as the wind started whirling around and around, nearly blowing him off his feet. The light faded considerably, allowing Dende to uncover his eyes. He looked up… and up and up and up, to see Shenron, curling in the sky. Dende stood frozen. How long had it been since the dragon had left? He'd forgotten just how intimidating Shenron could be at times.

"_HEEEEY_! HAHA, LONG TIME NO SEE DENDE!" Dende jerked his head up towards the voice, seeing someone sitting on Shenron's head, waving their arms wildly. Suddenly the person jumped, doing a somersault in the air and cannon-balling straight down towards Dende. Said Guardian quickly dived out of the way before he could be crushed, unceremoniously rolling across the outlook and coming to stop against a tree.

"_Owwwww… _that really _hurt…_" he whined, pulling himself up onto his hands and knees. Popo immediately dropped his gardening tools he'd been holding, breaking out of his state of shock after seeing Dende roll into the trees. He ran as fast as his round body would allow, dropping to his knees next to the fallen namekian.

"Dende, are you alright!?" he all but shouted in the poor namekian's ear, making the young man cringe. He sat up and glanced around blearily, trying to clear his mind.

"Yes Popo, I am fine… though very dizzy…" he said slowly, putting a hand to his spinning head.

"Gee Dende, I didn't mean to scare you. You ok? Haha, you dived pretty quick though!" a light laugh met Dende's ears as he looked up, only to be slapped repeatedly on the back. Rather hard in fact.

"Easy Goku! You might hurt him even more! You still don't seem to understand your own strength!" Popo exclaimed, holding his hands up to stop the young God's assailant.

'_wait, did Mr. Popo just say…-!?'_Dende snapped his head up so quickly he nearly got whiplash, only to be met with a very familiar sight. A sheepish smile was on his face and he was rubbing the back of his head in true Son fashion, and Dende recognized him instantly.

"_Goku!_" Dende exclaimed, quickly wrapping his arms around the saiyan. Goku laughed, hugging the young namekian back.

"Gee, it's good to see you again Dende! And you too Mr. Popo!" Goku laughed, waving at the rotund Genie.

"It certainly is good to see you too Goku." Dende said, smiling warmly at the Saiyan. Suddenly he noticed something, and as he pointed at Goku, he stood up as straight as he could manage. He was fairly certain he had a few bruised ribs…

"I see your back to normal again…" he smiled, glad to see the warrior was no longer a child. "I assume Shenron changed you back..?" Goku smiled and nodded, jabbing his thumb backwards to point at the looming dragon.

"Yeah! Believe it or not, Shenron let me make a wish, and I asked if he could turn me back to normal!" Goku said, his smile widening. Dende felt his own smile spreading as well.

"That's amazing! I can't tell you how good it is to see you Goku! Everyone knows about the deal, and they're all really excited to see you and to come back to life. Speaking of which, once King Kai and Baba get everything situated, Baba will be-" suddenly, the air morphed again, and before anyone could blink, there stood the large group, looking slightly dazed from the trip and more than a little ecstatic.

"…coming here, with… everyone…" Dende finished lamely, his cheeks starting to hurt as his smile widened immeasurably. As he watched, everyone turned and looked around the lookout, smiles on their faces and slight shock that they were really back. Almost as one, they set eyes on Goku. All hell broke loose.

Popo grabbed Dende before he was trampled and pulled the young man away to the side. Everyone screamed and ran over, tackling the poor saiyan before he even realized what was happening. Krillin and Chi-Chi burst into tears, wrapping their arms around Goku on either side and squeezing him tight. Once they had let go, Gohan and Goten did the same, then Tien, Chaotzu and Yamcha greeted him, then Bulma and Videl and all the rest of the group. Even Vegeta raised his fingers in greeting, a slight smile on his lips.

Dende, Popo and Baba waited patiently, and time passed quickly as everyone caught up and chatted. Soon enough, they all stood before Shenron, the imposing Dragon looming above, and the anticipation spread like wildfire in a brush.

"_**Speak your wishes!**__**I will grant any two requests you ask of me." **_Shenron boomed, already knowing what it was they would request, though still choosing to make the routine formal. Dende stepped forward, raising his hands slightly as he called up to the Eternal Dragon.

"Please, will you bring back to life all of the Z warriors and their family members that are gathered here today?" Dende cried, awaiting the results. Shenron's eyes glowed red, and the dragon balls glowed forebodingly.

"_**It shall be done!"**_ he boomed, and a bright light surrounded the large group. When it died down, everyone had lost their halo. Once noticing this, they erupted in cheering. Dende smiled and snuck away from them, sliding over to speak with Baba.

"Pst! Hey, Baba? When do you think you can go and get Piccolo..?" he felt sweat pricking along his forehead as she shot him a glare, but before he could defend himself from her wrath, she was gone. He blinked blankly before realizing where she had gone, and with a smile, he snuck back over to the group, slipping back into his place before the dragon without anyone noticing.

His eyes strayed to Gohan, seeing the smile on his face, though it still didn't reach his eyes as much as it should. Dende felt a twinge of pain in his heart, but knew that soon enough, he'd feel nothing but pure joy. He couldn't even imagine the level of happiness that Gohan would feel when he saw Piccolo again.

* * *

_**The Underworld**_

Piccolo practically felt like pacing, but his pride kept him from doing so. He was incredibly anxious for the moment that he would finally be free form this hell-hole (no pun intended).

'_Come on, calm down already. You'll be out of here in no time…' _He chastised himself, keeping his stony expression completely impassive to the churning thoughts and emotions inside. _'Kami, what that boy has done to me…'_ Piccolo growled at the way he couldn't keep his mind off of Gohan. All he could do was think of the brat. _'It's been so long… I wonder if he still cares as much as he used too…' _his mind returned to the past, remembering the light tinkling laugh that used to grate on his nerves. He remembered how, after Gohan had figured out a namekian's hearing was incredibly fine, his laughter had changed. It had still retained it's childlike nature and happiness, but it wasn't too loud or too sharp, so as not to hurt his sensitive ears. He'd loved Gohan's laughter after that.

His mind wondered, remembering how the boy had followed everywhere he went, no concerns or interest as to where they were going, merely happy to be around him. He followed any orders and requests, no questions asked, always striving to impress and please. Aside from his rules about no touching him, and especially no touching when other people were around, much to Piccolo's chagrin. The brat always hugged him, always jumped on him, and always leaned on him. He'd mimicked his every movement, figuratively and literally. He mimicked Piccolo's purple gi, learned his attacks and defense techniques, favored his Masenko attack for quite a while after he'd finally convinced the green man to teach it to him; he even subconsciously started fighting and acting like Piccolo as he got older, crossing his arms and scowling a bit when he stood. Piccolo had secretly relished the anger and distress Chi-Chi had expressed at this.

He remembered some of his favorite moments with the young boy, one being when they were up in the mountains training to get stronger while simultaneously learning to endure the cold. Everyday, Gohan pushed past his limits to impress Piccolo, and while the proud warrior remained indifferent on the outside, he'd been utterly proud and honored. Each night, Gohan would start out lying across from him on the other side of the fire, but somehow, Gohan would always work his way around the fire to curl up next to Piccolo, either with his head on his thigh or in his lap, or lying in his lap period, curled up and completely content and warm with Piccolo's cape wrapped tight around his little body. Piccolo wasn't sure how he always managed it, but he did know each night that somehow Gohan would be curled up against him, and he would make absolutely no comments or arguments against it, instead choosing to stroke his hair until the boy's content breathing lulled him into his own sleep.

'_Oh, how the mighty have fallen…'_ he thought venomously to himself, growling as he found himself missing those simple, calm days with the boy. While he had appeared aggravated, and even hateful most of the time to the boy, both knew he wanted Gohan around as much as possible, and as time went by, so did the rest of the large group. Piccolo should have been more upset that they all knew he was a pushover for the kid, but he couldn't bring himself to care as much when it was just the two of them.

Sure, when others were around, he was his usual cruel self, but as time went by, Gohan learned to keep his affections hidden in front of the others, (though if only slightly,) and like Piccolo, only openly showed it when they were completely and utterly alone. Even as Gohan turned into a man and entered high school, when they were alone, he still jumped at Piccolo, wrapping his arms around the namekian's waist just like when he was a child, or leaning against his side while they sat together, or laying his head on Piccolo's lap since he was too big to sit in it.

And Piccolo allowed him to. He enjoyed it. He really did. After so long of being hated and feared and resented, he had found pure trust, love and friendship in the boy. Gohan idolized him and completely adored him, and Piccolo returned it just as well. They were positively inseparable.

He sighed, looking up at the reddening sky, wondering when the Kami-damned old witch would arrive. He had a certain little brat to see, and he had a feeling it was going to be an embarrassing moment, but he honestly couldn't give a damn.

Suddenly an odd sound met his fine hearing, and when he glanced in the direction of the sound, he saw the air warping to his right. As suddenly as it had appeared, the old witch Baba appeared, sitting on her crystal ball as always. Her typical scowl was in place, and her eyes pierced right into the tall warrior.

"You ready or what?" she snapped, cutting to the chase immediately. Piccolo nodded, keeping his stony expression in place as he walked over to her, crossing his arms over his chest as he set his icy glare on the old crone. Without a word spoken between the two, the air twisted, and Piccolo was vaguely aware of the fact that the ground seemed to be spinning. Just as he was trying to make sense of it, the spinning suddenly stopped, and Piccolo was aware that he was no longer surrounded by the many rocks and oddities of Hell. He was on the Lookout, and surrounded by many familiar faces.

_**AN:/ YOU ALL KNOW THE DRILL! PLEASE REVIEW FOR ME!**_


	4. Of Reunions And Tears

_**I. AM. SO. SORRRY! DDX**_

**_See what happened is my grades dropped and my dad has not allowed me to be on my computer AT. ALL. ever since I put up that apology! He even deleted my story, so I had to retype everything from this chapter! (Luckily, I write everything by hand first (kinda why it takes so long to update... -_-''), so if my computer crashes, or if I lose the file or if my DAD FUCKING DELETES IT, I still have the story.) _**

_**Anyway, here is Chapter 4! I've decided I'm going to be changing the cover image to suit the chapter :P Why am I typing this? No one cares about the author notes in the beginning XD Oh well, for the rare chance you are reading this: What are you waiting for!? i've kept you waiting for weeks, start reading all ready!**_

_**~Princessa**_

* * *

Gohan looked around, seeing that everyone was indeed without a halo. They were alive again. He felt a pang in his chest as he saw the smiles and tears as everyone rejoiced. He felt guilty. He shouldn't feel so upset and disappointed; he should be happy and laughing with everyone else. But despite telling himself this, Gohan couldn't bring himself to do so. It hurt. It hurt more than he thought it would, and he didn't want to admit it, but all that they were being given wasn't enough for him. He felt selfish and greedy, but he didn't care, he wanted to see Piccolo. It wasn't fair.

Heaving a sigh, Gohan looked up and tried to concentrate on everyone else, his smile still in place. He scanned over and saw Dende glancing at him, his gaze barely noticeable to the others, but Gohan was positive the young guardian was watching him. Almost immediately after he saw Dende watching him, the young namekian's gaze snapped to Trunks, laughing at whatever the lavender haired man had said. It was too late though; Gohan had seen the barely concealed sadness and, was it pity? No, but it was close. More like empathy.

Gohan suddenly felt very insecure and nervous. What if Dende had figured out that he wasn't fully happy? What would he do or say? But Gohan had seen something else as well. It had seemed like glee, and excitement. Peeking at the namekian again, he saw no signs of any of the emotions he'd witnessed.

'Maybe it was my imagination..?' he mused, but shook his head at the thought. 'No, I definitely saw it, there's no way I could mistake it…' but what could he do to prove he had. There really was no way to do so. And bringing it up to the Guardian would only cause trouble he was sure. Sighing, he walked over to Videl and his mother, trying his best to hide the pain in his heart, a herculean task, even after all the time and practice he'd had to deal with it.

Dende let the sigh he'd been holding in heave out of his lungs as he glanced again and saw that Gohan was immersed in a conversation with Chi-Chi and Videl. _"That was __**WAY **__too close! I need to stop this, I'm going to get found out if I'm caught again…" _

Suddenly, the Lookout rumbled and shook, the chatter ceasing as everyone tried to stand upright. A warm yellow glow engulfed the large floating platform, forcing Dende to cover his eyes. After it finally vanished, he slowly opened his eyes, glancing around to get the spots out of his vision. When he looked back around at everyone, he no longer saw the aged faces of his friends. He saw the young faces he hadn't known in centuries. It was as though he'd been thrown back in time, as if everyone's ages had suddenly been reversed.

It was though time itself had been rewound. He glanced from one face to another, jumping from expression to expression, seeing the shock and confusion on all the faces he had not seen in decades, in centuries. A deep, booming rumble came from the Dragon above their heads. Slowly understanding slipped into his mind, and he saw the same awareness seep into the group, catching each person, one right after the other like a wildfire.

The Lookout was filled with cheers and laughter, hooting and hollering. As everyone talked at once, Dende studied each person closely, seeing just how young everyone had become. Wrinkles were gone, grey hair disappeared, bodies renewed and returned to states they had not seen in decades. As he listened, he heard Chi-Chi and Bulma exclaiming that they looked like their teenage selves again. The other girls seemed to have the same belief. More and more he heard everyone to have the same belief. More and more he heard everyone speaking the same words, and the young guardian came to the conclusion that everyone was at the age of eighteen once more. The appearances certainly confirmed this. Even the hairstyles of his friends had been changed to those that everyone had worn when they were originally teenagers.

Krillin was bald again, Trunks' hair was short, Goten had the same unruly mop of hair he'd had before, Vegeta's stuck up once more, though surprisingly he had a few bangs in his eyes. Bulma's hair was long, a little past her shoulders, and next to her daughter, the two could easily have passed for twins. Chi-Chi's hair was in a high ponytail, Videl's in her two low pigtails she'd had when she first met the group, and Gohan's spiked up with a few rebellious bangs hanging in his eyes like when he'd been in high school, just as Dende remembered. The only person who didn't change substantially was Goku, instead remaining almost the same as before, if not a bit shorter.

As he listened to bits and pieces of different conversations, Dende saw Krillin and Gohan break from the throng and make their way over to him. He smiled warmly, licking knowing eyes with Krillin as he saw the ex-monk smile.

'_Not much longer. He should be here soon.' _He whispered mentally, making sure Gohan wouldn't be aware he was speaking mentally with their friend.

'_Awesome! I can't even begin to imagine Gohan's reaction. I'd bet money he bursts into tears.' _Krillin joked light heartedly.

"Hey Dende, does any of this make sense to you?" Krillin spoke out loud, gabbing a thumb at the large crowd. Dende smiled, glancing at his group of unlikely friends.

'_That's a given, but I'm willing to take a bet if you can come up with something good.'_

"Not really, but nothing ever makes sense when it comes to all of you." He laughed as Vegeta started yelling at Goku for an unknown reason, the taller Saiyan laughing as he tried to pat Vegeta's shoulder, his hand being immediately slapped away. Krillin's face morphed into a cheeky grin, but he skillfully masked it as a response to Dende's actually spoken commnt.

'_Oh yeah? Like how much?'_

"Ahh, harsh! But well deserved I suppose. All I know is I haven't looked this good in years!" He immediately stroke a pose, gliding a hand over his well-waxed head and winking, firing an imaginary gun as he did so. Gohan doubled over in laughter, wrapping his arms around his ribs.

'_Hmmm, I bet 2,000 zeni that he'll embarrass Piccolo in some way, but Piccolo will take it and not care.'_ The guardian skillfully hid his smile, knowing full well that Piccolo would be missing Gohan too much to be embarrassed over whatever the demi-saiyan did upon their most-likely tear soaked reunion.

"Yeah, believe what you will Krillin, believe what you will."

'_Piccolo not care about being embarrassed? Are you __**trying **__to lose or something? Or have you just forgotten what the former "DEMON King" is like? I bet you __**3,000 **__zeni that he yells at Gohan, maybe even blasts him a bit. Gohan embarrassing him is a given as well.'_

"Again, harsh! You've gotten awfully crel for a supposed 'kind-hearted' Guardian!"

'_Oh, your __**ON**__!' _The two mentally shook hands as Gohan calmed down from his giggling.

"Who ever said I was kind-hearted?" he laughed.

"Ah, come on you guys, we should be catching up, not bickering!" he clapped a hand on each of his friends' shoulders, smiling at each in turn.

"I gotta tell you, I've missed you guys! It's good to see people I haven't seen in, jeez, Kami knows how long!" he laughed, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.

"A little over two centuries actually." Dende stated matter-of-factly, raising a couple of fingers and wiggling them, a cheeky grin on his lips. Gohan and Krillin did a double take before Gohan chuckled breathlessly, Krillin mubling that the namekian was a "smartass" or something of the like.

"Man, we've been dead for over two-hundred years? It didn't feel that long!" Krillin said, a smile on his face. Gohan's expression darkened slightly, and he turned his head, looking out to the endless sky.

"It felt a lot longer than that to me…" he said soflty, his eyes somber. Dende shot a glare at Krillin, who immediately flinched, scrambling for a change of subject. Before he could find one however, the air warped in the middle of the Lookout, gaining the short warrior's attention.

He felt the air catch in his throat, and he blindly grabbed for Dende's robes, unable or unwilling, he wasn't sure which, to take his eyes off the spot. Dende looked away from his forlorn friend down to Krillin, then followed his gaze when he saw the speechlessness his friend was in.

He too felt as though his lungs had been stripped of oxygen as he saw the air twist and swirl, before finally it just stopped. In that spot were Baba and a very familiar form, arms crossed and trademark scowl in place. Krillin finally managed to rip his eyes away from the two long enough to lock gazes with Dende before the two smiled ear to ear. They looked over again and caught the gaze of the tall namekian, nodding his head only slightly in acknowledgement of the duo.

Gohan felt different. He immediately knew something had changed. It took a moment, but he felt as if something had just been… made _right_. One moment, his heart had been throbbing painfully, made aware his suffering had not been near as long as he'd imagined it, but then, it was as if the pain had been ebbed. Like a hole in his heart had been mended, even refilled.

That was it. The hole in his heart that had been made when Piccolo died, the crater that had been gouged into his very soul when Piccolo's existence had been ripped from him. It wasn't there. The pain was still there, but it was like a dull ache, a sore-ness, but not a knee-buckling, inhumane torture it had been for so long. Confused, Gohan turned, and his abused heart stopped. His breathing stopped. Time stopped. All he could do was stare. He couldn't move, he couldn't speak, he couldn't even blink. He didn't want to, for fear that the being in front of him would disappear once more.

He was vaguely aware that the thrum of everyone's talking had all but stopped, he was aware a few if not nearly all were watching him. But he couldn't bring himself to fully let it sink in. He just continued to stare. Then the figure turned his head, black onyx eyes met his own, and Gohan involuntarily took a step forward, then another and another. He froze again, still unsure, his mind completely numb, a small "feh" met his ears from the person in front of him; green lids covered black eyes for a moment before opening one more. A soft smirk lifted one corner of emerald lips.

"Hey Kid." Two words. Those simple two words were all it took. Time sped up once more; Gohan's heart started beating. It beat fast and hard and painfully against his chest, in his throat, his breathing coming in uick soft gasps. His head swam and he felt exceedingly dizzy.

"…Piccolo…" his voice was so low he wasn't even sure he'd spoken out loud.

"Piccolo…!" he tired again, a soft murmur. How sweet it was to say that name again. The pain in his heart all but disappeared, he took another step forward, and the tall warrior turned to fully face the stunned demi-saiyan.

"_PICCOLO!" _He cried, suddenly braking into a run before even realizing his feet were moving. Before either were aware, Gohan had thrown himself forward, wrapping his arms around the namekian's waist as tight as he could, both sent sprawling onto the pristine white tiles, Gohan's grip unyielding, his face buried into the white of Piccolo's cape and the purple of his gi.

A low growl met his ears, making his heart jump against his ribcage. He was amazed that after all this time, Piccolo's growl was still the same. It was as if all the time apart had not influenced either of them in the least. But when had it ever? They could spend years apart back in the day, and it was as though they had only been apart fro a few weeks at the most. Gohan felt his eyes beginning to burn, and he buried his face deeper into the soft fabric, wanting the feeling to disappear. He couldn't. He wouldn't. He _refused_ to.

He felt Piccolo push himself up onto his elbows, then up onto his hands, into a sitting position; all but spilling the pile of emotionally unstable half-breed into his lap. Gohan felt a hand on the back of his shirt grasping the fabric tight, and instinctively wrapped a hand around his own wrist, a silent pledge that the taller man would have Hell if he tried to pry the demi-saiyan off.

"Let go Kid." He could hear the half-hidden, half-meant threat behind his venomous words, and Gohan shook his head jerkingly, defiantly. Piccolo tried a quick tug on the shirt in his hand, testing the shorter man's hold, and wasn't at all surprised to feel the arms around his waist tighten, reminding him vaguely of iron fetters, especially since they were attached to the specific person in his lap, all but glued to him like a barnacle.

He could feel his cheeks flush violently, and caught the desperate attempts at hidden laughter surrounding him. He was right: it was extremely embarrassing. As he tried for another tug on Gohan's shirt, another growl rising out of his gut and out his mouth, he felt something odd. Looking down he quickly solved his confusion. His gi was starting to feel wet, and he could feel slight, barely even noticeable, quivers coming from Gohan.

His expression instantly softened and his growling stopped. Watching intently, his was positive he felt the little tremors Gohan was desperately trying to contain and hide, even as his gi grew wet.

'_Damn…'_ He cursed mentally. The Kid still had so much control over him. It always seemed to hurt whenever he saw even the slightest sadness on Gohan's face. Gohan had always tired to well, so hard to hide his emotions, especially around Piccolo, and especially when it was sadness. Gohan knew Piccolo hated it when he was sad or cried, viewing it as a sign of weakness. He always tried his damnedest to never shed a tear in front of him, but when he did, it hurt Piccolo more than he liked.

How many times had he seen him cry? How many times had he seen those tears flow over Gohan's cheeks? Yet, every single time again, it hurt. It hurt so fucking much. It made his stomach twist and his heart tighten painfully, made him want to take back what he'd said, made him want to change whatever it was he had to change to just make him stop crying, to just let the tears _cease_. He truly hated what it did to him.

"Gohan." He said, his voice carefully uncaring. Gohan's grip tightened, his face buried deeper into the soaked gi. Piccolo sighed, his grip on Gohan's shirt loosening before he let go completely.

"It's fine Kid." He said softly, so none of the others would hear. He felt the boy tense, then a tiny shudder.

"It's fine." He said again, replacing his hand on Gohan's back reassuringly. He felt awkward and out of character doing it, but he knew it was best, so he ignored his hesitance. He ignored the people around them. He ignored Krillin's open-mouthed gawking and the snicker coming from Dende. _"You owe me 3,000 zeni" -_? What did the little shit mean by that? Whatever, it didn't matter. He completely blocked out everything, just as he did when he meditated. All that mattered was Gohan and that they were together.

He felt Gohan lift his head a little, but it wasn't enough for Piccolo to see his face.

"I'm not…" he said weakly, and piccolo could hear how thick his voice was. He smirked at the man's determination and defiance, but let it fade off his face almost immediately.

"Yes, you are." He shot back softly. Gohan lifted his head more, and Piccolo saw the deep purple stains, a harsh contrast to the rest of his gi.

"I'm not crying damn it..." he said before looking up at his mentor, tears streaming down his face and his cheeks flushed. His vision was blurred with unshed tears and piccolo felt a pang in his heart as he saw all the emotions swimming in his dark, black pools.

"Don't tell me I'm crying…" his choice quivered and Piccolo watches as more tears overfilled his eyes and raced down his soaked cheeks. Raising his hand, Piccolo moved it up and sat it on Gohan's head, ruffling the unruly spikes softly. Gohan squeezed his eyes tight, bowing his head as his tears dripped off his face. His shoulders shook once, then again, and again. Finally they just started quivering and a choked sob ripped from his throat. Piccolo felt the arms around his waist move as Gohan let go of his own wrist, instead grasping handfuls of his gi. He buried his face into the tall namekian's chest once more, openly sobbing out all the pain and anguish and happiness. He hugged Piccolo tight, and he felt as Piccolo softly ruffled his hair. Not enough to allow the others to see and know, but enough to comfort the demi-saiyan. His hand slipped down to grasp the base of his skull and his neck, squeezing softly, reassuringly.

'_It's fine Kid. I've missed you too, more than I care to or could even try to admit…. It's good to finally see you again.' _Piccolo's voice rang through his mind, drowning him in the sensations. He was almost ashamed that he'd nearly forgotten what it was like to speak telepathically with his ex-mentor. Memories hit him of the two of them just sitting in silence, a quiet conversation that the world could never hear going back and forth between their minds. Gohan's eyes burned as he cried everything out. His lungs burned as he desperately gulped oxygen into his body, only to lose it inbetween his sobbing gasps.

Piccolo saw everyone watching them from his peripheral vision. He saw smirks, smiles, and a few teary faces, but he couldn't bring himself to care about their judgmental gazes. He saw someone walk forward and looked up slightly to see Goku, a soft smile on his face and a knowing look in his eyes. Piccolo felt the corner of his lip twitch, but refused to let himself smile as well.

Goku watched as his son cried his heart out, a pang of sadness attacking his own. He was briefly reminded of when Piccolo had died in the first place. After earth had exploded, he'd been so upset. He understood Piccolo had let go on purpose when he'd transported to the ship, but that didn't stop the pain and guilt. The ship landed on Planet Tuffle and he, Pan and Trunks had gotten off to find the others.

He'd walked in a bit of a daze into one of the buildings. At the time he wasn't aware but after wards he had realized just how empty the building had been. Of course, by that point he had understood why. He had no clue when he first set foot into the building. As they walked down a hallway, they had heard the sounds of a wall falling apart. They ran down hallway after hallway, until they came to the area they had heard the destruction coming from.

Goku could still see the shock on Trunks' face and the slight fear and confusion on Pan's. There, standing in the middle of the hallway with rubble and destruction all around him, had been Gohan, his ki flaring dangerously and his hair a bright blonde. Now that he thought about it, Gohan had probably not even known he'd transformed. He'd been so consumed by his emotions he'd completely snapped. His face had been tear stained and his fist was bloody, broken and bruised, a steady pool of blood on the floor as he continuously punched the wall.

The wall had a large crater, a hole shaped like Gohan's fist in the center. He'd been hitting it over and over and over again as they had come across him, his anguish and rage and sorrow completely consuming him as he cried out with each punch. It had taken quite a while before Goku had been able to get through to him. When he had finally gotten the man's attention, he had just stood there for a moment, completely unmoving like a statue, his broken hand dangling at his side. When he had turned to face his father, the look of utter loss and sadness in his dark, soulless eyes was surely going to haunt Goku for the rest of eternity.

"…He's gone Dad… he's gone…" was all that that man had been able to say before he dropped to his knees. Goku remembered the cold weight he'd felt in his gut at those words, knowing exactly who he was talking about. He wasn't sure at the time how Gohan had known so quickly of Piccolo's death, but the fact had still remained that he had and he had not taken it well at all.

All Goku had known to do was to go to Gohan and do what little he could to try and console his heart-broken son. He held him, letting him cry as much as he had needed, unable to say much of anything aside from the tedious "I know"'s, and "I'm so sorry"'s. he never wanted to see that state of utter un-control in his son again. It still pained him to remember.

As he looked on now, he wasn't sure just how much Gohan had still suffered. He knew it had been painful, so painful all this time, and he felt immensely guilty, but he was actually glad he had not been around to see his son's suffering, to see just how dead Gohan was inside without Piccolo.

Piccolo had been his first teacher, his first and closest friend, just as he had been to the imposing warrior. They had a relationship unlike any of their other friends. The fact that they had such an unforgiving and painful separation, that they'd been forced apart so brutally and swiftly. It just hadn't been right. As he watched them silently, Goku was pleased to see a certain contentment in the unlikely pair. He smiled once more, turning away to walk over to his other friends, his mind deciding to let the duo be. Looking at the group, his eyes settled on a specific face. Maybe he could still goad Vegeta into a fight.


End file.
